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Bill advances in the Chamber and could increase the total number of deputies from 513 to 531 to prevent states from losing seats after the update determined by the STF
A Câmara dos Deputados approved this Monday (5) an urgent request for the project that proposes an increase in the number of parliamentarians.
The proposal, now with accelerated processing, could change the balance of power between states in the National Congress.
Expedited processing and STF deadline
With the approval of the request for urgency, the proposal can be voted on directly in the plenary of the Chamber, without going through the thematic committees.
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The measure seeks to comply with a determination of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), which required updating the distribution of deputies based on the Census.
The deadline for this adaptation ends on June 30th.
The Constitution requires that representation in the House be proportional to the population of each state.
However, the last update of this distribution was made for the 1994 elections, based on the 1985 population.
Since then, no new census has been considered.
Census-Based Redistribution
The STF decision determines that the Chamber continue with 513 deputies, but with redistribution of seats according to the size of the states' population.
This would mean that seven states would lose seats: Brazil, ...
On the other hand, seven other states would gain seats: Amazonas, Ceara, Goias, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Pará and Santa Catarina. In total, 14 seats would be redistributed.
Alternative proposal: increase the total number of deputies
To avoid losses in the states, the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), is working on an agreement that maintains all current seats and increases the total number of deputies from 513 to 531.
The proposal has already been formalized in the deputy's report Damian Feliciano (Union-PB), released this Tuesday (6).
According to the text, nine states would gain new seats:
- Amazon: +2
- Ceara: +1
- Goias: +1
- Minas Gerais: +1
- Mato Grosso: +2
- For: +4
- Parana: +1
- Large northern river: +2
- St. Catarina: +4
These changes, if approved, would apply to the 2026 elections.
Impact on states and legislative assemblies
The distribution of seats in the Chamber also affects the number of state deputies in each state.
The Constitution establishes that legislative assemblies must have a number proportional to the federal bench.
Today, there are 1.059 state deputies across the country.
If Congress follows the STF's decision, this number would fall to 1.055.
However, if Hugo Motta's project is approved, the total would rise to 1.079 state parliamentarians.
TSE has already tried to implement changes in the past
This discussion is not new. In 1997, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE)) tried to update the benches, but was unable to implement the measure due to constitutional limitations.
In 2013, the then president of the TSE, Minister Cármen Lúcia, returned to the topic.
A published resolution updated the composition of the House based on the Census, but was quickly blocked by Congress through a legislative decree.
In 2014, the STF ruled that the delegation of power to the TSE to make this type of decision was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruled that it is exclusively up to the complementary Legislature to define the criteria for redistributing seats.
Therefore, any change needs to be approved by Congress.
Dispute involves states that win and states that lose
The STF's decision to prevent automatic losses of seats was motivated by actions such as that of the then governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande.
He contested the reduction of his bench from 10 to 9 deputies, as provided for in the TSE proposal.
The Supreme Court understood that changes like this need to go through Congress, respecting the principle of separation of powers.
The deadline established by the STF ends on June 30th.
Until then, the Chamber must decide whether to comply with the required redistribution or approve the increase in seats. The measure will now go to a plenary vote and, if approved, will still depend on the Senate's analysis.
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